RAMALLAH: Israel’s military said on Thursday it would hold a Palestinian journalist arrested last month in administrative detention, raising fresh concerns over press freedom.

Ali al-Samudi, 58, would remain in custody until October due to “considerations for the security of the region and public safety,” the military said in a newly published decree.

The Palestinian Commission for Detainees and the Palestinian Prisoners Club denounced the decision and Samudi’s treatment since his arrest on April 29. His detention, they said in a joint statement, was part of Israel’s increasing use of administrative detention against journalists since the Gaza war began. They said the practice had “intensified dramatically.”

Samudi is a freelance journalist who works with several outlets, including Qatar-based Al Jazeera. He was with Shireen Abu Akleh when she was killed by gunfire in Jenin on May 11, 2022. He was shot and wounded in the shoulder.

The Prisoners Club says Israel has detained 50 Palestinian journalists since the Gaza war began on October 7, 2023, with 20 held under administrative detention. The practice, a legacy of the British Mandate, allows Israel to detain people without charge, with detentions renewable indefinitely.

Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2025